Overview

• Testifying at Preston Crown Court, Anthony Cleary said Elias Morgan called around 11 p.m. on February 8, 2024, claiming he had “done someone in Skem,” after which Cleary checked local news for updates.
• Cross-examination highlighted that minutes after the alleged call, Cleary was arranging a car purchase on Facebook Messenger, a detail prosecutors and the defense used to challenge his account.
• Cleary accepted that Morgan had a reputation for “violence, control and revenge” yet continued to associate with him, while prosecutors pressed that he knew moving the van and e‑bike to Skelmersdale was not legitimate.
• The court heard Cleary twice refused to provide his phone PIN; when police later accessed the device, WhatsApp messages were missing, which he attributed to disappearing messages.
• Both men deny murder, Cleary also pleads not guilty to manslaughter, and the trial before Mr Justice Goose continues.